Game farmer in court with rhino accused

Johannesburg - A Free State game farm owner has appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court alongside two men accused of exporting rhino horns from South Africa, The Star reported on Wednesday.

Marnus Steyl was granted R100 000 bail on Tuesday ahead of the trial in June, according to the report.

Thai nationals Punpitak Chunchom and Chumlong Lemthongthai were ordered to remain in custody in separate prisons.

Steyl's farm was allegedly used by a syndicate to hunt rhinos, with Thai prostitutes and strippers posing as bogus rhino hunters.

Chunchom was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on Friday after the Hawks suspected he may have to return to engage in illicit activities.

A South African court found him guilty last year of smuggling animal products like lion bones into the country. He was fined R10 000.

Both he and Lemthongthai face charges of contravening the Customs and Excise Act, and fraud, according to the report.

It was believed 26 rhinos may have been shot by the syndicate using legal hunting permits.

Steyl's attorney Alwyn Griebenow told the newspaper he planned to get a copy of the police docket and fill in an application to check the exact charges against his client.

Comments

Myancmyfuture - 2011-11-09 11:04

Crime indeed knows no colour

roboman1 - 2011-11-09 11:18

He is not a Rhino poacher, and I will put money on it right now that the charges against him will either be withdrawn, or will be trumped up. I do not know the man, but I have read the article and can gather from the extremely poorly written and researched article that the man legally traded in the business

Gcwabe-KaMavovo - 2011-11-09 11:34

roboman1
Clearly you didn't watch Derek Watts exposing him on Carte Blanche a few months back. He's a proffessional hunter and he gets a cut from the iilicit gains made by the Thai nationals.

Ann - 2011-11-09 11:52

Indeed, crime seems to not be bound by colour. At this stage I have to state that I am so ashamed, disappointed and angry of people who have been given an opportunity to do some good in our country - game farmers, vets and sadly so many of them seem to be white that are more intent on fulfilling their need for greed.
May the Groenewalds, Steyls and any other despicable people in our own country be found and given the harshest sentences imaginable. By that I mean jail time - no options of fines, because clearly money is no object to them!
As for the Asians - they must not be allowed to leave our country under any circumstances as we will never get them back here to take their medicine!
I am not ashamed to say I love animals more than people, and would be quite happy to see all of the perpetrators of these heinous deeds in a jail cell with a few Black rhino for company.
THEY WILL NEVER LOOK AT ANOTHER RHINO WITH GREEDY INTENT SHOULD THEY SURVIVE THE ORDEAL!!!!!

Gungets - 2011-11-09 12:01

@Roboman - there is no legal way of exporting rhino horn. Your hero willingly allowed these hunts to go ahead, knowing that the girls posing with the "trophy" were not hunters. What your icon has been doing is legally buying rhino (for about R300k a pop) and then allowing mock hunts with the intent of harvesting the horn for smuggling (around R75k per kg). Since you "read the article" you will see it never mentioned poaching but rather illegal export.

Diep - 2011-11-09 12:41

@Gungets. You are wrong. The ONLY way to legally export a rhino horn is to hunt the animal and export the horn as part of the hunting trophy (the stuffed head of the animal). I agree fully with Roboman. This article is poorly written. If the accused had legal permits to hunt the rhino, which it appears he did, he will be found not guilty.

Gungets - 2011-11-09 12:50

@Diep - read up a little. He and the Thai's were bringing in Thai prostitutes to sign the hunting permits and provide their fingerprints. The permits were NOT legal - and that is the whole point. Steyl KNEW this, that is why he is in court. The prostitutes were brought in by Xaysavang Trading Export-Import company just for the purpose of the permits. This was not a professional trophy hunt, it was a cull simply for the horn. Just read up - the information is all there, including copies of the permits. You complain about the article, but are not prepared to do the slightest amount of research yourself before defending the man. He is consorting with KNOWN CRIMINALS, with convictions for animal smuggling. I do not know a decent PH who would do that.

Diep - 2011-11-09 13:00

@Gungets. My comment was aimed at the article, which states that Steyl had legal permits. If he had legal permits, he is not a poacher. The definition of poaching is killing an animal without a legal permit. The real issue here is the fact that it is impossible to get rhino horn out of South Africa without first killing the animal. If the law allowed Steyl to cut off the horn (without killing the animal) and selling it to the Thai people, then ALL the rhino on Steyl's farm would still be alive today. Now you tell me who is really responsible for killing the rhino, Steyl, the Thai or the stupid law that forces the killing of the rhino in order to get the horn?

@Diep - you are kidding me - right. You think the legal harvesting is going to stop the slaughter. All it will do is confuse the police who now have to decide what is legal and what is not. Please tell me how that will work. ---> Second - you criticise the article. Please point out in the article where it mentions poaching. You cannot blame News24 for you inability to read. --> The fact is that News24 has got one thing wrong. The permist are NOT legal in that the licenced hunter on the permits (the Thai prostitutes) were NOT the people who shot the animals. Steyl knows this - he is not fulfilling his ethical duty as a PH. ---> Please do not tell me that it is OK to breal the law just because you think it is silly. There are lost of things I consider silly in law, but if I decide that it is not applicable to me then we descend into anarchy. Remember that there are people who believe that cannibalism is fine, who believe that you should be able to have sex with minors - are THEY entitled to make up the laws as they go along. Selling rhino horn is ILLEGAL - look that up. Till then Steyl is being charged due to a valid law - end of story. Defend him if you like, it says much more about you than it does me, or the law.

roboman1 - 2011-11-09 14:36

@Gungets, at least Diep deals in facts, a person can discuss and move ahead and learn from people like that. Try it Gungets, learning is an amazing experience

Diep - 2011-11-09 15:43

@Gungets. I will not stoop to the level of exchanging insults. The FACTS that I mentioned were simple. The article mentions that Steyl had legal permits, therefore he should be innocent. I do not defend Steyl or any other person allegedly involved in rhino related crimes. I do however state that the laws are the cause of the problem, not the persons (like Steyl) who may try to find way around such laws. I do not advocate taking the law into your own hands either. I just raise the question: rhino horn can be harvested without killing the animal (i.e. a sustainable non-leathel source of rhino horn), yet the law forces any person who wishes to have a rhino horn to first kill the animal. Can you tell me how many merino sheep were poached for their wool in the last year? Are merino sheep on the list of endangered species? The answer is simple.

koo.doyle - 2011-11-09 11:12

All poachers and their accomplices should be shot on sight. No questions asked.

roboman1 - 2011-11-09 11:20

stupid stupid comment koo, the man is not a poacher, read the article again. Perhaps people like yourself should be shot, that way we would get closer to justice

Stephanie - 2011-11-09 11:39

@Roboman- seriously?? Try look back over the past cases of fhino poaching- he is a professional hunter ILLEGALLY dealing in permits through the use of Thai prostitutes to 'legally' hunt rhino- BECAUSE IT'S NOT HIS NAME ON THE PERMIT. So yes he did shoot the rhino under false pretences of having legal permits. He's an accomplice within a syndicate. Good grief some people frustrate me with their narrow mindedness.

vincent.surics - 2011-11-09 12:01

@koo looks like roboman1 has an interest in rhino horns.

roboman1 - 2011-11-09 12:07

Listen, all you emotive players with no real interest in the industry, I protect Rhino personally, and provide sanctuary on my own property, and have personally caught poachers and ensured their conviction. I have will stake my money that I have done more to prevent poaching than most of you sitting at your PC's commenting here with emotion. Your emotion is the enemy of conservation and preservation. Game Farmers like myself do more to save Rhinos and other species generally than any of u commenting out there, so please wind your necks in before you wreck the real conservation efforts. "I love animals to death syndrome" is what I read here, because it lacks logic and intelligence. Yes emotively you may not like what I am saying, but until one of you comes back with some logic, refrain from asking for a guys death who trades legally in a business. And yes I did watch Carte Blanche, the "YOU" magazine equivalent of sensationalist journalism. Low on on fact and high on emotion. And no, I have never hunted Rhion and yes I protect Rhion right here on this game farm where I live. I spend many nights patrolling my place, and many time get up at 2, 2, 3 in the morning when I hear traffic or sounds in wild to go and investigate at the risk of my life. But I see that the emotive and thoughtless and uninformed "I love them to death" huggers are a bigger danger to conservation thatn the poachers.

Gungets - 2011-11-09 12:37

@Roboman - twaddle boet. I have "interests" in the industry with family that are PH's and own game farms where they keep animals for the hunting fraternity. They subscribe to the ethics and tenets of PHASA, the fair-chase philosophy and above all that of conservation. Steyl does NOT. Before you go off at the deep end defending this oke I suggest you read up. Read up on Xaysavang Trading Export-Import company, the R16 million that Steyl was promised to provide the horn for export. --> This has nothing to do with bleeding heart conservationists - I am not one, but with simple greed and non-sustainable use of wildlife. This man is encouraging the use of Rhino horn as a medical product in the East - he is just another drug dealer who will share responsibility for the extinction of a species. He will face trial, as he should. If he is guilty - and why not - how can a PH and safari operator NOT see through the farce of Thai prostitutes putting thei names on hunting permits - he must go to jail. He has not complied with the requirements of the law and of PHASA. Let him suffer. Bully for you babysitting your rhino (when do you allow a prostitute to shoot them???) - your defence of the indefensible puts you in the same light as Steyl. Be careful who you associate with.

Ann - 2011-11-09 12:59

@ roboman1 - if you have "personally caught poachers and ensured their conviction" please let us know from where you operate. I am very interested in the welfare of ALL animals that have been poached or are on the poaching list in our country and would like to have proof that these despicable people have been convicted.
You may think I am one of the "emotive" ones, and YES I am. I am not ashamed to nail my colours to the mast when it comes to greedy people exploiting any animals and particularly those who are part of South Africa's heritage!
I would love to come to your game farm and see the animals you own and whether you allow hunting to take place or not.

Diep - 2011-11-09 13:08

@Gungets. If you are part of the ethical hunting fraternity then I salute you. I however ask you to consider the laws that Steyl is being charged under. Those laws are killing the rhino. Steyl is not encouraging the use of rhino horn. The use of rhino horn existed and flourished many years ago, long before Steyl was born. The Thai/Chinese people did not get their ideas to use rhino horn from Steyl!! They have been using it for centuries and they will continue to do so. If we want to save the rhino as a species and stop poaching, we should keep ALL the rhinos alive, cut off their horns (with the help of ethical Vets) and sell the horn. Of course, the law has to change first, but that is really my point and I suspect Roboman's too.

roboman1 - 2011-11-09 14:06

The article is poorly written, but then when I read most of the comments here I conclude that it matters not, anyway. And Gungets, lots of people know people who are in the fraternity etc, in fact lots of people probably know Steyl etc, and also claim to be experts, but that does not make you an expert. Time will tell in this particular case whether the man was guilty or not, in law, I seriously have my doubts. As to Ann, you are not well informed if you think poachers to not get convicted. It is a frequent occurrence. Scan court records, you will be surprised. But nevertheless, that is my point, this entire article was not about poaching, but everyone misreads it and comments accordingly. Any of you are most welcome to come to my gamefarm, as a paying customer, and you will find live Rhino, and you will find that we have never hunted a Rhino, but be that as it may, it is time people started to deal with facts in each situation. As for breaking laws, well we will see, I am a great believer in the courts are there for justice, not emotive, subjective pseudo conservationists. But legal hunting is a part of conservation, and game farmers are bigger contributors to preservation and conservation than any "hug them to death" bunny boiler that I have ever met.

roboman1 - 2011-11-09 14:09

Stephanie, lets not debate the legality or not, until the court has ruled. If Steyl is guilty, then he will go to jail, I have no objection about that, but I do object to people wanting to jail, shoot and castigate people without the courts ruling first. I also struggle with emotive journalism that does not differentiate between legal hunting and poaching. Gungets states that..."there is no legal way of exporting Rhino horn" This is not true, Rhino trophies may be exported, I do not say I agree that this is moral, but it is legal, my point is people must deal with facts.

Gungets - 2011-11-09 14:13

@Diep - not for one second do I believe that the legalisation of the sale of Rhino horn will stop poaching or the unethical practices like these. Ther are 1 billion Chinese, another 250 million Asians who believe in this sh#t. Right now rhino horn medication (for more than just impotence, it is used for a great many things) is too expensive for anyone except the rich. Flood the market and you open up a much bigger market, more demand, more illegal sales. Short answer - no. I think people like Steyl, Groenwald et al are encouraging the illegal export of rhino horn and therefore implicated in all illegal activities relating to rhino - INCLUDING POACHING - because they make tracing the source more difficult. --> By the way, I do not hunt. I cannot bring myself to pull the trigger on an animal, but I do eat meat (so I am a bit of a hypocrite - I allow others to do it for me), but I also realise that the hunting fraternity is also a huge part of conservation. My family are conservationists first, then hunters. I have no issue with them, they are right on top of the ethical hunting fraternity. Endangered species - off limits. Finish and klaar.

roboman1 - 2011-11-09 14:55

@Gungets, not just are you a self acknowledged hypocrite, you are also guilty of expressing opinions on a subject that you appear to have limited knowledge of, just because you have some family in the hunting trade. The open selling of stockpiled Rhino is horn under debate right now in conservation circles, and is considered a possible solution, because it will collapse the current syndicates, which are not that easy to start up again in a few years time. But the main thing is it will intercept the current illegal trade in horn and create a traceable legit business, where the profits can be used to educate people out of their current beliefs.

Gungets - 2011-11-09 15:14

@Roboman - please don't quote me and then do it badly. There is no legal way of exporting rhino horn. The implicitly states "horn" and not trophy. This is the angle that your buddy Marnus and his Thai team have been using. Dressing up working girls as "hunters" and then exporting the "trophy" they they have not shot. Any bets that the trophy cannot be produced after export - if it even makes it onto the boat. They are bending the rules. If you support that, just say it. No point in beating around this bush.

Gungets - 2011-11-09 15:32

@Roboman - "But the main thing is it will intercept the current illegal trade in horn and create a traceable legit business, where the profits can be used to educate people out of their current beliefs." - HOW??? --> 1. My claiming to be a hypocrite is called "Self Deprecation" - look it up. I enjoy meat but don't have the heart to kill it myself. I have no issues with hunting. Using that by saying I am a self confessed hypocrite is childish. Leave it. ---> 2. I welcome anything that halts the killing of rhino but doubt that this will help. It has not helped elephant poaching in Africa when stockpiles were allowed to be sold. Why would this change anything. --> 3. You would be very surprised at my knowledge of the industry so best we not try and compare ourselves.

Diep - 2011-11-09 16:08

@Gungets. Right. Lets look at elephant ivory. Is it possible to harvest ivory from an elephant without killing the animal? No. So elephant ivory is not a sustainable, harvestable resource, but rhino horn is. You say there are millions of people who use rhino horn and therefore we can never sustain the demand. Well I ask you how many people on earth (not only in China or Asia but ALL OVER THE WORLD) wear wool jerseys and other wool clothing products? Do you think we can sustain the world wide demand for wool? Or do you say that merino sheep will become extinct because billions of people want to use their sustainably harvested product? I dare you to answer with FACTS, not emotions.

roboman1 - 2011-11-09 16:19

I quoted you 100% correctly. What you said up there with many of your other un-thought through comments. Anyway< i have no wish to tarde insults with you. We can talk again after this court case. (Or any other time you wish to have a factual debate that may contribute to saving Rhino or furthering the protection of Africas wonderful wildlife.) In the meantime try and mature up your perspective a bit, and btw, saying that you think you know a lot about something does not make it so, it just means you think so. I will side with Diep on this one, he seems to have a more learned and mature perspective on these matters. And be careful when you self deprecate, as was the case in this instance, people may just believe you!

Gungets - 2011-11-09 16:36

@Dipe and Robo - are you really, really, trying to compare sheep to rhino. Do you believe that legalising the harvesting of rhino horn is going to lead to MILLIONS of rhino, all having their horns shaved every year. The rhino horn grows at max 10cm a year. Sheep regerate their wool every year. It's just a nonsense comparison, so unless you can come up with something better than that it is not worth discussing. ---> Robo - FACTS boet, just facts. You say that I have no knowledge without providing ANY of your own. You have not provided a single fact yourself. You are now riding on the coat tails of someone who might have some knowledge, even if they have used a rather spurious comparison of wool from sheep to horns from rhino. ---> Roboman - try and fight the way you would like to be fought with. If you feel my facts are wrong, take the time to type those up - right here is a good place. If you have facts to dispute my "opinions" then put them down here.

Gungets - 2011-11-09 16:47

@Dipe - fact 1. World sheep poplulation is 1,157,826,000. ---. Fact 2 sheep wool growth - full load each year. --->. Fact 3 - rhino horn grows at max 10cm a year, 1/2 that when it ages --> Fact 4 - land carrying capacity of rhino vs sheep, about 1 : 200 - but a silly comparison given their different grazing/browsing. ----> Do you seriously think that comparing wool to rhino horn is a realistic one?

roboman1 - 2011-11-09 17:49

@gungets, your counting of sheep is exhausting. You can google some stats but you are a babe in the woods when it comes to using the stats to make sense. Go away and come back in 20 years when you have levated and educated yourself please.

Gungets - 2011-11-09 18:49

@roboman - anyone reading this thread will realise that you have added absolutley nothing. Not one fact except the invented one that you own a game farm and raise rhino. A few months ago you were sitting on the Durban beachfront looking at the new stadium and complaining that it was a white elephant, and as a tax-payer you did not want to subsidise it. You are just trying to cause an argument. I think there is a word for that but this whole thing is a little tiring. The closest thing that you have to look after tonight is your pet poodle. It is storming over Umbilo so I suggest you toddle off and make sure Tiddles is OK. The adults are trying to discuss something. Enough - I enjoy (eventually) finding some common ground with people like Diep. You, not so much. So cheers, have a good one.

Gerhard - 2011-11-09 11:13

If this is guilty I hope he gets serious time in jail.

roboman1 - 2011-11-09 11:24

Guilty of what Gerhard? I am only interested to know what you actually understood from this pathetic article?

Gerhard Nel - 2011-11-09 11:52

He is being charged with contravening the Customs and Excise Act and fraud. What don't you understand?

Ann - 2011-11-09 13:11

@roboman1 - perhaps a lot of us read other information out there and listen with intent to reports on radio and wherever possible. As one of the "privileged" of which I earlier spoke, surely you want to save animals, particularly those who are being mercilessly murdered on a daily basis in the name of money.
@kayceechick - I agree, R10,000 is a mere slap on the nose for these bastards - that is why I advocate a very lengthy languish in a maximum security prison!
@jacqui - stockpiling is not a good idea. In Asia these swines are already doing just that so they can drive the price up even more and make even more blood money from their crimes.
I suggest everyone Google - rhinofarms in Asia - they are simply disgusting and sadly some of the "trusted" game farmers in our country are suppliers to these places.
Oh and yes, roboman1 - THIS IS MY HOBBY HORSE - I will do anything in my power to stop the poaching of any species of animal in our country and beyond our borders!!!
As a writer, I already highlight the plight of several species such as Hippo, Jackal, Hyena and a number of others whenever I am able to.

VM1 - 2011-11-09 11:16

very dissapointing - Marius and crew illegally exporting rhino horn who would have thought , a farm ownwer colluding with thai criminals to contravene export laws. Throw the book at him...

Jacqui - 2011-11-09 12:20

Yes and throw the book at roboman1 too. I don't like holier than tho attitudes. Blimey.

roboman1 - 2011-11-09 15:02

Ridiculous, now I am also guilty hey? My absolute point why the courts need to rule and not immature bunny huggers that can barely string a few logical coherent thoughts together. If they guilty put them away, but do not jump to conclusions when you glean your facts from Carte Blanche and You magazine, hardly credible sober clinical sources! Jacqui, now wonder you have like 18 friends on FB with that attitude

Evan - 2011-11-09 11:18

Disgusting people! Hunting season should be open against all poachers!

roboman1 - 2011-11-09 16:20

Against poachers yes, but these people were not found to be poaching, and they have not been charged with poaching either

"Chunchom was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on Friday after the Hawks suspected he may have to return to engage in illicit activities.
A South African court found him guilty last year of smuggling animal products like lion bones into the country. He was fined R10 000."
Shame, only R10 000 fine... how much does that Lion cost to buy (alive)? How much would that Lion have brought in on tourist dollars? And where did that R10 000 fine go to? Not conservation I bet.

Jacqui - 2011-11-09 12:18

Imprison them and throw away the keyes
I have been thinking if the stockpile of horn would be sold, won't that solve these awful practices?.

Diep - 2011-11-09 13:10

Yes Jacqui!!! You are right. If it was possible to legally sell the thousands of horn in stockpiles, Steyl and his co-accused would never have shot one single rhino.

roboman1 - 2011-11-09 14:14

Jacqui, this is one of the most sensible suggestions yet, well done for a logical and practicable view. It would take the syndicates out quickly, and syndicates are not rebuilt that quickly again. It would be the fastest way to end Rhino poaching. Indeed, and then use the profits from the Rhino horn to educate people globally about Rhino horn and that it does not have medicinal benefits.

Gungets - 2011-11-09 15:43

They should try this with cocaine and LSD. Flood the market with it, then use the money to start rehab centres. Amaxng they have never thought about that. Or - they might just create a whole new user base - rhino horn is an expensive medication but 100's of millions would LIKE to use it - then you have to wean them off it as well. ---> @Roboman - since we are dealing in facts - do you have any to support this proposal. Like any illegal trade of anything that has been stemmed by making it legal. Just a few will do. Don't bother responding unless it is a few examples, we have talked this to death, only facts are going to resolve it.

Diep - 2011-11-09 16:21

@Gungets. One example is alcohol. At one stage it was banned but now it is legal. A much better example is Velvet which is sustainably harvested from the horn of Deer. Google this and you will find a flourishing sustainable trade in New Zealand WITH NO POACHING. Another excelent example is the Vicuna (an animal similar to a Lama) which produces sustainably harvested wool. It used to be endangered until the laws governing it changed and allowed a strictly regulated trade. This animal now flourishes and so does the trade in its wool and there is NO POACHING. The difference between your drug exmaple (LSD and cocaine) and rhino horn is simple, rhino horn is harmless, it does not addict and kill the consumers thereof. So your argument is invalid. Facts.

roboman1 - 2011-11-09 16:26

@Gunget, are you of the school of thought that if it has not been done before it cannot work in the future? You are so narrow and simple. Why am I even debating with you? Google would not exist if people thought like you, in fact the internet would not be here if smart brave people did not try new things. The blessing of course if the internet was not here I would not be dealing with your limited intellect right now. Rhino horn is not addicitve like LSD etc, and you cannot produce it in labs everywhere, you can control the supply and there are large quantities available, so yes, it will collapse the syndicates initially. And one other thing retard, I have rhino, that is why I look for solutions, for you it is a childish debate with no reality attached. Tonight I have to be alert against rhino poachers, less than 1800 meters from where I am sitting and typing a rhino was poached and a calf wounded. This is not a theoretical debate for me you mental midget, this is reality. And while you talk nonsense Rhino die, whereas we as Rhino owners are trying to 1. stop poaching daily and 2. find longer term more sustainable solutions.

Gungets - 2011-11-09 17:24

@Diep - sheep vs rhino?. Alcohol vs rhino. Sorry, don't buy it. I will check out the example of the Vicuna. Thanks for the examples - it is useful. Is the example of velvet not a bit invalid since there are synthetic products that have taken it's place. Also, does the geopgraphy not have something to do with it. The Vicuna looks like it is fairly remote, and New Zealand does not have some of our social issues which make poaching and crime a national past-time? The problem with rhino horn is that synthetics will not cut it. The Chinese have synthetic products that produce the same effect as they THINK rhino does (fever control, infection control etc .. and yes, virility) but they do not act as substitutes. ----> Roboman - our conversation is over. Not once, not ONCE have I made this personal. You have, continue to do so, and have still not come up with anything of substance. You go and look after your rhino - I hope you do a better job of that than you do arguing a point or the rhino is doomed. But, well, I guess we will just have to trust what you say about your involvement.

hlonphile.gumede - 2011-11-09 12:54

The state of our nation is a very sad one indeed. To think that our natural resources and heritage are being raped by greed, selfishness and unproven myths. No one and nothing is safe these days especially those that cant defend themselves such as our environment, children and our senior citizens. As naive as it seems I am still hopeful and proud to be SA.....

Pats - 2011-11-09 13:05

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Alva - 2011-11-09 13:44

Steyl should have known better. He should be shown no mercy! String him up and cut off his horn and leave to die slowly like the rhinos have!